May 31, 2016

The Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee of
the Massachusetts House has released its version of a draft omnibus energy
legislation, which would require the state to procure 1.2 GW of offshore wind
power by 2027.

Specifically, according to the Sierra Club, the bill
requires all utility companies in Massachusetts to solicit joint proposals and
enter into long-term contracts with offshore wind developers. Additionally,
electric utilities would be required to conduct solicitations for no more than
9.45 million MWh of energy from either hydro imports alone or hydro imports and
a delivery commitment for Class I renewable resources.

The Sierra Club says the bill for increased renewable power
follows last week’s unanimous decision from the Supreme Judicial Court finding
that Massachusetts is currently not doing enough to comply with the legal
requirements of the Global Warming Solutions Act to reduce carbon pollution.

Cathy Buckley, chair of the Massachusetts Sierra Club, and
Emily Norton, Massachusetts chapter director for the Sierra Club, believe the
legislation needs improvement, including more support for wind energy.

“While there is some good in this bill, there are still
major improvements needed to deliver benefits to Massachusetts residents:
doubling the renewable portfolio standard (RPS), support for onshore wind,
eliminating the cap on net metering and restoring net metering for low-income
and community solar projects, and forcing utilities to fix gas leaks,” Norton
says. “We need to scale up to an economy powered 100 percent by renewables, and
there is no time to lose.”

“This bill is a small step mostly in the right direction,
but at this point, we need huge strides,” adds Buckley.

DONG Energy, developer of the Bay State Wind offshore farm
proposed off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard,has said it advocates for a 2 GW offshore wind
carve-out in the bill.

Statewide coalition Mass Power Forward says it is urging
lawmakers to take bolder steps to encourage wind and solar and stop the
construction of new gas pipelines. Coalition members are calling on the
legislature to make a bigger commitment to offshore wind and double the RPS to
accommodate the simultaneous growth of land-based wind.

“I want it all: a ban on gas pipeline taxes, the full 2,000
MW for offshore wind and accessible uncapped solar,” says Claire Miller of the
Toxics Action Center. “Our health, our economy and our future require we double
down on local renewable energy.”

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) notes that the
Massachusetts House “deserves full credit for recognizing the urgent need to
address our state’s energy future.”

“However, this bill is not strong enough,” according to
Caitlin Peale Sloan, a staff attorney with CLF.

“We need a bill that lives up to its name – An Act to
Promote Energy Diversity. This bill is weighted too heavily in favor of
imported hydropower,” she says. “Onshore and offshore wind are a powerful
combination that will help to curb climate change and build a new industry in
Massachusetts.”

According to a report from MassLive, the House will vote on the bill – the provisions
of which are still being reviewed by the committee’s senators – on June 15, and
the bill must be passed by the legislature before the end of July.